Still haven’t voted? Read this refresher before heading to the polls

North Carolinians have until 7:30 p.m. this evening to vote in a contentious midterm election in which voters will decide, among other things, the fate of several controversial constitutional amendments.

While more than two million voters already cast their ballots early, there are still five million more who have a chance to study up on the election and make their voice heard.

Policy Watch has published countless articles and produced many commentaries on what’s at stake this year. In an effort to get it all in one place for easy voter access, below is a recap of where you can find information to help decide some of this year’s key races.

There are six constitutional amendments on the ballot. Voting and civil rights activists as well as many public figures in North Carolina have taken a stance to “nix all six” by encouraging people to vote against all of the amendments.

A proposed cap on the state income tax – this amendment would permanently cap the state income tax at 7 percent. Here are some resources to read up on:

An amendment to require a photo identification to vote in future elections – this would enshrine an ID requirement in the constitution, though lawmakers did not include in the proposed amendment what type of ID would be required. For more information, read these pieces:

One of the proposed constitutional amendments would transfer power from the Governor and reallocate it to the legislature to fill judicial vacancies. It’s one of the more widely opposed amendments, which you can read about below:

Another amendment that has garnered many opponents is one that would restructure the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement from a nine-member board with unaffiliated voter representation to an eight-member board equally divided by Republicans and Democrats. Read some background:

Finally, one of the proposed constitutional amendments purports to strengthen crime victim’s rights. The amendment, however, does not contain any specific information about how that would be done since it states “as prescribed by law.” There are also already protections in the constitution for crime victims. Read more below: